Something a little different for me. It reminds me of my days as a colorist in the polyester print business many years ago. This was a fun piece and I think I may do some more of these. It’s larger than I usually do: 12″x16″, cold pressed Arches paper.

I’ve been reading “Imaginary Animals” by Boria Sax, which is a goldmine of ideas, especially for my junk mail art. The above creature on the right is based on the Iroquois monster Flying Head: a giant head with wings instead of ears, long tangled hair, sharp teeth, and one set of reptilian arms or legs. A little digging around online reveals a bunch of tribal stories about this man-eating beast.

In one, the Flying Head drove an ancient tribe away from its hunting grounds in the Adirondacks and the land was always afterwards considered cursed. Three hotels have been built on that location; all have mysteriously burned down.

A common element in many tales involves a woman eating acorns roasted in a fire which is supposed to have finally driven the monster away, as it was scared of a human who could seemingly eat hot coals. This drawing is the Bureau of Indian Affairs ethnographic sketch that sparked my interest. Rather Edward Gorey-like, no?

As to the poem, I had gotten a children’s book of sijo poetry out of the library (Tap Dancing on the Roof), and was interested to try the form. Originally a Korean song in 3 lines, modern poets sometimes break it into 6, which worked better for me. Numbers of syllables are involved, and the last line is supposed to provide a twist on the first two. You can read more about writing a sijo here.

Two Lantern poems (isn’t that a great name? and the shape!) as suggested by Jane Dougherty in her weekly challenge.

You may remember that I ended up leaving my self portrait #12 open for the insertion of new masks, and for this second one I used another Native American reference: Northwest Coast raven moon masks. Raven and Moon are important in tribal life. Raven is the creator of light, a trickster who stole the stars, moon, and sun, and put them in the sky. Moon, a transformational symbol, is both protector and spirit guide.

The original mask was based on Hopi Kachina dolls. I’m not sure if we’re still designating the 25th of each month as selfie day, but if so, why not a mask?

You can read the story of how Raven stole light for the world here. And all the posts so far in 100 Self Portraits are here.

What is the color of mourning?
morning
of empty spaces, and Where?
wear
black, but it has no reply.
Why?
just questions and sorrow.
Tomorrow
will remain unfilled,
killed,
killed. More shots from another gun.
When?
Again.